That's an interesting thread. Thanks to all who commented! I'm not gonna try any prediction about whether AI will kill the 3D star but seeing Face Transfer 2 in store pushed me to post where I stand on this.

AI has huge practical potential and some of the work created with it is fantastic even while it still gives 7-legged cats and clawed piglets... But I can't seem to get over this feeling of unfairness - betrayal - about the foundations and the mindset behind this technology. Maybe I'm old-school, but for me fairness, consent, privacy and transparency are important. AI generators exist because they stole the hard work of real human workers who never envisioned that their work could be used that way, many of whom are going to get the sucker's payoff: be tossed off their social/professional position by these algorithms that make the people who stole their work rich (and who get away with the theft unless the courts eventually decide otherwise - if someone has enough money and mental support to hold such lawsuit until a formal ruling) or start using this technology like everyone else to stay in the game. How not to be angry seeing how the companies behind commercial AI used "data laundering" to make their software? It's clear that they did this because they were fully aware that it was immoral and likely illegal. Their shielding behind universities and NGOs funded by them to evade responsibility and their hurry to release this technology commercially before legal reactions and regulation can catch up in a ways that would be fair _and_ realistically enforceable could feature in the dictionary under the definition «bad faith».
About data laundering: https://waxy.org/2022/09/ai-data-laundering-how-academic-and-nonprofit-researchers-shield-tech-companies-from-accountability/

Even if I'm tempted to jump in the IA bandwagon, for now the breach of trust is too big for me not to be wary about the companies trying to push this technology. Most companies who develop it seem to do everything they can not to be accountable to the meager legal protection that exists for us lambda citizens to be able to control what we allow and what we don't about the product of our labor and our personal information. How are they going to use whatever data I feed them to use their wonderful tools? Do these pieces of software collect, share information about me and my software use that I'm not aware of? Who do they share what I do know they use with? What rights do I really own on the work I produce that uses the output of their softare?

I like how this article sums up where we're at and asks: "How can artists and AI companies make peace?"
https://www.theverge.com/23444685/generative-ai-copyright-infringement-legal-fair-use-training-data

I hope that the courts will rule against the rogues who commercialized AI text-to-prompt image generators. And I wish to see AI-using companies that tell me what data sets their algorithms were trained on. Companies that retributed the people whose work the algorithms were trained on - or at least who got their informed consent to use it the way they do. Shutterstock and Adobe for example did a step in that direction by training their AI models on content they licensed from their stock image database and setting up agreements with the content providers, but it wasn't a stellar process and it's unclear to me whether the images that people create or modify when they use their software are also used to train their AI in return. If they're uploaded/stocked/shared somewhere else than for the strict purpose of the user in the process. Or how the personal profile of the users is collected/shared as well on information that indicates what subjects they create images about, at what time of day, etc., all things that give clues about someone's personality, lifestyle, interests, mental state; things that can be crossed with other personal data in aggregators and are highly valuable for the companies who want to make money from targeted ads.

I also wish to see companies that tell me in a no-nonsense language, in a place that's easy to find and that doesn't require me to decipher pages and pages of marketing talk or legalese, what cases/conditions allow me to create content using their AI-powered tools that I retain full and exclusive rights about... Or what rights I give up on and grant them in the process of using their services. If I understand correctly for now unless you're a coder and/or own the rights on enough material to feed your own algorithm to learn exclusively with it, it's a sea of uncertainty, with the risk being smaller the greater your input into the final work and the least it risks to cause harm to someone else.

Utopic? 

AlmightyQUEST said:

I just want to take a moment to appeciate releasing Face Transfer 2 and Faceless on the same day.

OMG, thank you for the laugh!  Shockingly that coincidence hadn't struck me, even as I threw both into my cart this morning. Hahaha

Alessandro Mastronardi said:

Astraffel said:

I just bought this great little one (along with the base lion, dforce add-on, smilodon, and ensary's wild poses). I may be missing something obvious, yet I'm seeing many of the shaping and pose control morphs are warped or not doing anything. For example: the claws do not protract at all and the lower jaw morph tears the sides of the mouth away from a stationary jaw. Is this expected to happen?

If it's of note, I've only tried this in Daz Studio 4.22 and have no idea if this is a new thing or has always been this way.

The product page does list these morphs as included features, yet the index file list doesn't and my data folders only have them in the base.

Strangely, the eyes actually seem to close better than for the base lion and smilodon shapes which only close 2/3 of the way at 100%.

I'm curious to know if I'm missing some obvious method or if this is an error somewhere or even if this is just how it is meant to (not) function. I love how the little big cat looks, yet I may need to rethink using it as a main character. I was really excited to use those claw morphs for climbing animations.

Thanks for any help!

Hello, I'm not sure why it doesn't work anymore, I swear it did when I released it. Anyway the fix it's quite easy: if you go to Pose Controls and extend the claws, then see the screen attached: check the LionCubJCM_Off slider, set it somewhere between 0 and 60% and you can control how much the claws extend.

Yes! That's got it working now! Thank you for the swift response!

If it's useful info for anyone else, I couldn't find LionCubJCM_Off at first. To reveal it, press the stacked line symbol in the corner of the parameters window, go to "Preferences" and turn on "Show Hidden Properties" to display those greyed out settings in the Currently Used tab.

Once I've got the right amount dialed in, I think I'll lock that setting on my figure subsets if it doesn't break anything else to have always on. It doesn't seem to affect other morphs like the snarls which have the opposite problem of 100% being way too much. Adjusting the limits of the parameter settings to somewhere between 33%-50% seems to keep the morphs from going too far.

I do have a serial number, but neither the release or beta versions of DS recognize it. I guess we're waiting for a DS update that includes face transfer 2, instead of (or as well as) face transfer 1.

No I got no serial #

By the way, although I'm not an English speaker, I understand the meaning of "WILL" perfectly ----> "Purchasing Face Transfer 2 in pre-release means you will get access to the unlimited version in the beta". Will can be "after purchasing". But for DAZ marketing it was too difficult to write "...in a future DAZ version.
 

Blando Calrissian said:

Did you get a serial number after you made the purchase? Does anything Face Transfer-related pop up under Window:Panes?

 

I just want to take a moment to appeciate releasing Face Transfer 2 and Faceless on the same day.

Did you get a serial number after you made the purchase? Does anything Face Transfer-related pop up under Window:Panes?

SilentLadyGTA said:

It says we will access beta. So DAZ sell product as beta with no beta available It is just funding !!!!!

It says that it will be available in the DS beta first, then later there will be an update for the general release. If you do not wish to pre-purchase then don't, it is up to you to weigh the cost and benefit of each offer before deciding whether tot ake it up or not (or even to decide you are not interested enough to do any weighing). It does sound as if it will have the same trial option as the original face Transfer, you will be able to use it with watermarks but will be limited to three full savs without purchasing the non-demo license, so you can always wait and see how much of an improvement it is if the sweetner is not tempting.

WendyLuvsCatz said:

Write Idea said:

WendyLuvsCatz said:

Blender, Ultimate Unwrap 3D, Blacksmith 3D, Zbrush

anything that does vertex colours and you can bake textures 

use your clone shapes to transfer, workflow varies between apps

So, let's say you have a Gen9 texture you want to convert to Gen8...you use the clone on Gen9 to make it into Gen8.  Then import that Gen9 figure into the baking program and bake it.  Does the next texture become compatible with the regular Gen8 base (depending if you picked male or female, of course)?

as I said it varies between programs and I don't know how to do it in Blender which is the free option

there is also 3Dwrap some use I know nothing about except it's apparently very pricey

 

in Ultimate Unwrap3D I use the repaint option under export

I import 2 identical shapes with different UVs  and export as Ultimate Unwrap.U3D files or use their DAZ plugin to export each mesh as .u3d

collapsing UVs so don't export as UDIM

the clones just have to be the same shape, it can work either way but G9 includes G1:2:3,8 abd 8:1 clones

it actually works with any identical shaped 3D meshes with different UVs

you choose the source and target and it generates textures 

with Zbrush the fact G3, 8:8.1&9 are UDIM is what's important 

it's rather complicated TBH and I only use it if wanting 8K textures

I need to export both highly subdivided and convert the textures to vertex colours again using UW3D or Meshlab

then use Zprojection to transfer the vertex colours over and the multimap exporter to export the texture maps

I have SubstancePainter, and I think I can do this.  I'm still new with the program, but it might work.  It didn't even occur to me to use clones to match the shape.  Substance Painter also uses UDIM.  Of course, it will be trial and error.

Thank you Wendy!

You are right. I call it FUNDING !

here is what we get after buying ----> see picture attached

Blando Calrissian said:

I have to admit that the product page is a little vague. "Purchasing Face Transfer 2 in pre-release means you will get access to the unlimited version in the beta (Public Build) versions, as well as the General Release version which will be launching in the coming weeks."

To me that does indicate that purchasing now gets you some kind of access to the Beta today, so you can start playing with it right away, and then you'll get the full version when it's ready in December.

But it could also be that buying now just means that you're able to buy in now at a lower price (30% off) than what it cost on launch day?

I have to admit that the product page is a little vague. "Purchasing Face Transfer 2 in pre-release means you will get access to the unlimited version in the beta (Public Build) versions, as well as the General Release version which will be launching in the coming weeks."

To me that does indicate that purchasing now gets you some kind of access to the Beta today, so you can start playing with it right away, and then you'll get the full version when it's ready in December.

But it could also be that buying now just means that you're able to buy in now at a lower price (30% off) than what it cost on launch day?

Write Idea said:

WendyLuvsCatz said:

Blender, Ultimate Unwrap 3D, Blacksmith 3D, Zbrush

anything that does vertex colours and you can bake textures 

use your clone shapes to transfer, workflow varies between apps

So, let's say you have a Gen9 texture you want to convert to Gen8...you use the clone on Gen9 to make it into Gen8.  Then import that Gen9 figure into the baking program and bake it.  Does the next texture become compatible with the regular Gen8 base (depending if you picked male or female, of course)?

as I said it varies between programs and I don't know how to do it in Blender which is the free option

there is also 3Dwrap some use I know nothing about except it's apparently very pricey

in Ultimate Unwrap3D I use the repaint option under export

I import 2 identical shapes with different UVs  and export as Ultimate Unwrap.U3D files or use their DAZ plugin to export each mesh as .u3d

collapsing UVs so don't export as UDIM

the clones just have to be the same shape, it can work either way but G9 includes G1:2:3,8 abd 8:1 clones

it actually works with any identical shaped 3D meshes with different UVs

you choose the source and target and it generates textures 

with Zbrush the fact G3, 8:8.1&9 are UDIM is what's important 

it's rather complicated TBH and I only use it if wanting 8K textures

I need to export both highly subdivided and convert the textures to vertex colours again using UW3D or Meshlab

then use Zprojection to transfer the vertex colours over and the multimap exporter to export the texture maps

Charlie Judge said:

Face Transfer 2 definitely appears to be a product devleoped by DAZ3D but the artist is not listed as 'DAZ Original' . This prevents using the DAZ+ coupon for DOs; thereby once again limiting the usefulness of the DAZ+ coupon.  Just another reason to consider not renewing my DAZ+ membership.

It may be that there are contractural requirements, if this is not purely in-house Daz development, which mean it has to be trated separately.

Where is the product. I buy it....but nothing in DAZ nor in Installed plugins ?????? vaporware 2?

Un intermezzo ai guai di MM... che pericolo per il portafogli l'annuncio di Face Transfer 2 con supporto per Genesis 9! Sinora ho evitato come la morte la nuova generazione proprio perché l'usatissimo ed adusatissimo FT si fermava alla Gen 8, ma ora... brrr!!!

WendyLuvsCatz said:

Blender, Ultimate Unwrap 3D, Blacksmith 3D, Zbrush

anything that does vertex colours and you can bake textures 

use your clone shapes to transfer, workflow varies between apps

So, let's say you have a Gen9 texture you want to convert to Gen8...you use the clone on Gen9 to make it into Gen8.  Then import that Gen9 figure into the baking program and bake it onto an actual Gen8 figure.  Does the next texture become compatible with the regular Gen8 base (depending if you picked male or female)?

sirnamedmark said:

Yes,sorry. I was referring to pc setup. Will face transfer 2 work with Intel processors/64 bit windows?

With W10/11 it doesn't matter which processor there is, as long as the operating system is 64bit version.

The processor reference was for MAC's

richardandtracy said:

Do be aware that there are intergenerational pose transfer products, both free & paid for. I have created a freebie script that copies the pose from a V4 character & pastes it to a G8F character as well as possible (https://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/448391/v4-a4-pose-transfer-to-g8f - at Rendo there have been over 2400 downloads of this script) and there are other freebie scripts and things like Bone Minion by Riversoft.

This may help if you are less than perfect at posing, but it removes the need for practice. It all depends on what you want most, the practice or the poses..

Regards,

Richard

Richardandtracy, richardandtracy... why does that sound so familiar?  Oh yeah I have some of your freebies already.  Thank you so very much.  I purchased a G3-8 to G9 pose converter/batch converter from here and I really like it so I am familiar with the concept.  I'm going to download the V4/A4 to G8F transfer freebie now & will try it out.  It may take some time but I'll post an update here as soon as I'm able to.  Thanks again!

crosswind said:

844d1cc615 said:

crosswind said:

In here ~~ Then Show Assets in Mapped folder...which will lead you to Poser Formats folder(s)...

Thanks.  I checked there again but Victoria 4.2 Base does not show.  Only the other one wich I think is just textures, Victoria 4 for Genesis 2 Female.    Victoria 4.2 Base shows purchased on the site but does not show up in anywhere the DIM.

Can you set a filter in DIM to locate V4.2 Base product as below ? Or try to re-import metadata ?

As for Victoria 4 for Genesis 2 Female, (http://docs.daz3d.com/doku.php/public/read_me/index/16559/file_list), there're just 2 usable CLONE files for Auto-Fitting. When you load V4's garment on G2F, you can see the options...

I had an encrypted password file accident a while back.  My DAZ password wouldn't work.  The team here was very helpful and had to transfer all my purchases to a new account.  That one could have gotten lost?  I don't know.  I think to update metadata I'd have to sign into my account in DAZ Studio and accept a user agreement.  I didn't go to Haaaaaaaaavaaaaaaard Law School so I just don't do that.  When you say Haaaavaaaard you have to stick your pinky out.      V4.2 Base is not to be found in my DIM.  I don't know if you can still download the zip files from here.  I'll look into that.  Thanks for the info.